


Second in Command

by AmazingAbigail



Series: Lucky Number Eight [1]
Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Derry, Friendship, Original Character Backstory, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-17
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-11-19 15:55:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18137810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmazingAbigail/pseuds/AmazingAbigail
Summary: Addie and Mike talk the morning before she moves out of Derry





	Second in Command

I hear a bike braking before I turn. My best friend, my last best friend, is letting his bike drop as he moves towards me.

“Hey Addie,” he says, voice low.

I take a shaky breath. “Hey.”

The sun is beginning to rise behind us. In less than an hour, I’ll be in the car, moving far away from Derry.

I won’t miss the town, or the evil that’s still possibly below in the drains and tunnels that crisscross all over, but I was going to miss Mike.

“I’ll stay in touch,” I promise, but the words have an empty sound, and when Mike looks up, I can tell he hears it too.

“Like the others?” he asks quietly.

“They’re probably just busy.” I say, trying to defend the rest of the Losers’ that left town between the years and have somehow forgotten how to call or write.

There’s a pause. The sun makes its way up the sky. I glance at my watch. We leave in twenty minutes. The thought hits deep, and I don’t want to leave.

We don’t speak. I can’t think of anything to say other than goodbye. I wonder why it’s so hard. I try to remember the day Bill left, or Beverly. It’s fuzzy, like I’ve just woken up and can’t quite focus yet. Eddie was nervous about something, wasn’t he? They haven’t been gone that long, so why can’t I remember?

“What…” I stop. My question doesn’t make sense.

“What?” Mike repeats, not trying to be funny.

“Do…do you remember when the others left?” I ask.

Mike doesn’t speak for a minute. Maybe he doesn’t understand my question. It seems so stupid, but the more I think about it, the fuzzier the thoughts get.

“Richie was making fun of Eddie when he left,” Mike says slowly.

“Richie always made fun of Eddie,” I remind him. Mike laughs. The fuzziness lifts just slightly, and I remember Eddie rummaging through his fanny pack.

“He was worried about losing his second inhaler.” Mike says as if reading my thoughts.

“Inhaler?” I repeat. I don’t remember Eddie having an inhaler, but the moment the word leaves my mouth, I remember it clearly. I shake my head. “I almost forgot all about it.”

Mike smiles again. “And you haven’t even left yet.”

“I don’t want to forget.” I tell him quickly.

“Maybe you won’t.”

I want that to be true, but I think I will. Maybe it’s for the best. If I could forget the smell of the sewer, the sound of Pennywise’s laugh, the feeling of complete terror, I would.

But I don’t want to forget the look of Stan’s tattered bird book, or Ben’s smile, or even the annoying sound of Richie’s voices.

I shake my head and look at my watch again. Ten minutes. I look up at Mike, and can tell he knows. I step forward quickly and hug him. His arms tighten around me instantly. “I’m going to miss you,” I tell him softly.

“Town won’t be the same without you.”

We pull apart. “Bye Mike.”

“Bye Addie.”

I grab my bike and stand it upright, swinging my leg over the seat. I start off, glancing back once as I make my way down the street. Mike is still there, watching me leave.


End file.
